Brookstone Capital Management Raises Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Brookstone Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 13.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 115,830 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,725 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $13,933,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK opened at $115.47 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.66 and a 12-month high of $125.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $115.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $113.79. The company has a market capitalization of $285.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.53, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.